21 Israeli School Children Injured by Car out of Control

Twenty-one grade school children were injured Sunday when an out-of-control car ploughed into them as they watched police sappers examine suspicious objects in their schoolyard.

The objects turned out to be harmless and most of the injuries were slight. But two girls required hospitalization.

The incident occurred at the Bialik Comprehensive School in Holon, south of Tel Aviv. The principal called the police after pupils spotted suspicious-looking plastic bags in the schoolyard.

As the bomb squad went to work, the youngsters, fifth and sixth graders, watched from the sidewalk, some distance away. Police cars that had blocked the road began to leave when a car driven by a woman accelerated and swerved onto the sidewalk.

Some of the students were sideswiped by the car while others scrambled to safety. The runaway vehicle slammed into a stone wall, showering the bystanders with splinters.